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Some of you may have noticed I haven’t blogged as much recently, but rather have been focusing on an older project I had been intending to get back to for some time now, my photography. (Www.carolynnescoffieldphotography.com)

I’ve been taking photos for years now. I got my first camera when I was 9 (back when we used film). I even took dark room processing in school and dreamed of one day owning my own dark room! (Oh I feel old now lol)

I started portrait photography shortly after leaving SAIT for journalism. My photojournalism professor told me: “Carolynne, you take beautiful portraits, but you care too much to be a photojournalist.” (I had no interest at all in photographing people’s grief, I wanted to photograph happiness and pretty things.)

I began with families and models, some events and some weddings, but I never really found my niche until I was pregnant with our daughter. I realized then what mattered the most to me was family, and all the milestones that come with it, when the couple meets, the birth of their children, how they grow up, their graduation, etc.

It was incredibly convenient that when I was attempting to study Photoshop my boyfriend stated he’d been playing with it for years and could run circles around me with the program, so I decided to pass the editing reins over to him so now I focus solely on capturing the moment, and he cleans everything up and makes it look perfect. He can even do complex edits with background manipulation that can bring your fantasies to life. Together we’ve made some beautiful photos and we look forward to making more.

We have a home based studio with a wide variety of props and backdrops but can also shoot at outdoor locations if preferred.

My name is Evelynne, I’m 3 weeks old. I live in Calgary, Alberta with my mommy and daddy. Daddy used to be a roughneck, but things are getting tough out here so he went into construction, but now even that is slowing down. Grandad is scared the economy is doomed, and uncle has a wife and 5 children to support and he’s nervous too. But I don’t understand why Mr. Prime minister. Mommy says you’ve done all sorts of kind things for refugees and stuff, that you travel all over Canada showing people how “good” you are, and she said you used tax money to do it… so I was wondering, can you start helping the people who paid those taxes? And maybe get that pipeline you promised underway? Albertans work so hard to achieve the ends they have, and mommy and daddy want to be able to provide for me and give me the life I deserve. Alberta was the highest grossing province before all this happened, and now almost everyone, including my family, are scared for the future. But Mr. Prime Minister, I am the future, me and all the other sons and daughters of Canada. So please, drop the carbon tax, drop the charades, start the pipeline, and do the right thing. Fight for your people, and especially the people of Alberta, who all could use a helping hand right about now.

Mommy and daddy took this picture of me to share and show support for Alberta, and all those who work in the oilfield or industries directly affected by the current economic crisis. We’d like to ask that you share this among your friends and family…

So you either didn’t see the post last week, or you just happened to fall victim to the current cold/flu buzzing around your home/school/workplace.Either way, here’s what you can do to get rid of it more efficiently so you can be back to your normal self in no time.

Rest: I can’t stress enough to get as much sleep as possible. If you’re off work, sleep longer and nap when possible. If you have to continue working, minimize other activities to ensure you receive the proper sleep you need to fight off this bacteria/virus.

Drink up: All that coughing and sneezing, (and if its the flu,any fluid emission from either end) makes you very dehydrated, make sure you ingest enough water to keep your system afloat

Install a humidifier: Viruses and Bacteria thrive in dry, arid environments, by utilizing a cool air humidifier you can combat the virus in the air. You definitely want it running when you go to bed. These handy little fellas can be purchased at any major supply store (walmart, superstore, ikea)

Take vitamin C: right now vitamin c is the best friend your immune system can have. Try and get your daily intake either by consuming fruits and vegetables or by taking a supplement.

Take hot showers: the steam from your shower will help break up the phlegm in your chest and nose. Try to breathe as deeply as possible to help clear those airways.

It happens every year, and it’s not always in winter. No I’m not talking about snow (although sometimes in Canada that’s true!) I’m talking about colds and the flu. Chances are we’ve all come in contact with a customer, coworker, loved one who shows symptoms of something amiss. Here’s what to do when you see this happen around you:

1. Disinfect all surfaces and materials

Cold and flu viruses can live on hard surfaces up to 16hrs and fabric up to 12hrs. It is important to wash clothing, bed linens, and sanitize surfaces with a sterilizing product such as: lysol, windex, bleach, vinegar.

2. Don’t touch your face

If someone coughs on you, don’t fret, unless they coughed or sneezed directly into your eyes, nose or mouth, there’s little to no risk of contagion. However, if your hands touch mucus anywhere and then you scratch your eye, itch your nose, or wipe your lips, the virus or bacteria can travel in the mucus membrane, thus rendering you potentially ill especially if you don’t already have the antibodies for this particular pathogen.

3. Avoid close contact with infected persons

Often times viruses will spread through households due to one person being sick and the rest catching it. If the person is your partner, avoid close contact. If it’s your child contact is probably necessary, just make sure you sanitize everything they touch and try to keep your face out of the sneezes and coughs if you can.

4. Get your vitamins

Lacking nutrition can lower your immune system making it much harder to fight the bacterial war that can be waged against us. If you don’t eat a balanced diet then at least consume a multivitamin daily.

5. Remain hydrated

There’s never an end to the benefits of water. In this case, your immune system is essentially in your blood. White blood cells are responsible for identifying, then tackling viruses and bacteria, and afterward cataloging their appearance along with an arsenal of antibodies to ensure we don’t get sick from that one again. Blood needs water to transport itself efficiently throughout the system and ensure our immune response isn’t delayed. So drink up!

The technology behind this app is amazing. It’s great to see people out interacting and getting mobile with one another. That being said…

Yesterday my boyfriend, step son and I went to Eau Claire to walk around and visit the park. Everywhere we looked people were in crowds staring at their phones. They weren’t talking about life or enjoying the scenery, rather we overheard terms like, “wartotle,” “squirtle” and a few discuss “farming,” which i am certain has nothing to do with actual farming. People would stop dead in their tracks making it so you almost run into them just to catch a Pokemon. My boyfriend and I watched this strange phenomenon at first rather amused, but it slowly turned to concerning.

People were walking everywhere face down. One woman smashed into my side (I’m 8 months pregnant) and didn’t even say sorry, didn’t look up or anything, just kept walking.

When I got home I did some research on the new app. The users give it full access to their location and provide photo documentation of various areas around our country.

This is where I have a major problem with this. If you haven’t currently watched the news, the world is engaged in a war of terror. There are a few super powers who would do anything to get valuable intelligence regarding military establishments, court buildings, police stations, government buildings… The list goes on. And our citizens are out there, documenting this very same intelligence and willingly handing it to a corporation. You also give it access to your google account, which may seem harmless but it shows whomever is collecting this data trends in purchases, common interests, basically everything about us, I mean who doesn’t Google stuff?

And lastly it scares me a little when I see unsupervised children playing it. I watched one walk head down through our back alley while searching for something. What if a car came flying around the corner? What if a predator was watching them, would they be prepared to run? If someone isn’t there to help them pay attention to their surroundings they could be in great danger, and as a mother that concerns me.

As I said before, I think how it’s getting people out and socializing is amazing, I just wish we as a society could look up from our devices every so often, go for a walk in a park and talk about life, not technology, if maybe we could absorb the beauty in this world rather than be slaves to a new game with bright-coloured, imaginary, cute creatures to collect and compare ourselves to one another.

I’d rather overhear people say, “I plowed 3 fields and fed the cows, or “I finished the basement,” or, “we went for a hike today,” instead of,” I’m a level 57 what are you?”

If an app developer could make something interesting, that got people into nature but involved them not looking at their phones the whole time and teaches them real skills… We could be onto making this world a better place.

Until then my friends, enjoy catching your pokethingys, I know you’re all having fun but please do be careful, be mindful of your surroundings and the people near you. I sincerely hope whomever collects the data for this app does not have a malicious intent for it… Or else we’re screwed, screwed by pokemon.

The greatest outdoor show is coming to Calgary for its annual debut on Friday, THE CALGARY STAMPEDE!!! And as much as it is a celebration of western riding and culture, it’s also a chance to strut your cowboy fashion sense up and down the midway. I’ve comprised a list of 4 essentials in order to pull off the stampede runway with style.

1. Cowboy hat/ Cute hairstyle

If you look good in a hat, go for it! I always like the sparkly ones. If not I suggest something with braids and some curls. Or you can go for the pigtails or pigtail braids, very on point.

2. Plaid Shirt

Nothing says rodeo living like a plaid shirt. You can also step this up a notch and find some western shirts at your local western store.

3. Blingy Belt and Jewelry

Think BIG when it comes to belt buckles, and the more sparkle it has the better. As for jewelry you can play it up or play it small, if it sparkles it’ll look great either way.

4. The Best Denim

Jeans are a staple of the western world, but those bulky wranglers don’t do much when it comes to shaping a girl or accenting your butt. Freddy has hands down the hottest denim for all your stampede needs. Rather than buying some cheap pair of pants just for stampede, get yourself a set that will last you forever.